Hi,
I apologize if this topic has been discussed before. I didn’t find any relevant threads in the archive.
I will be visiting Taiwan for the first time in a couple of weeks. I
Hi Reader,
You can get a pre-paid phone card at any convenient store in Taiwan and there are plenty of convenient stores. The thing with the card is that you have to use it on pay phones.
My employer got a mobile for me. As far as I understand you can purchase a SIM (as a phone number) from local telecom company fairly easily, but I have no clue about the contract issues. The telecom infrastructure here is pretty good. I was able to make phones on my mobile while I was in the States.
Good luck,
First thing I bought on my first trip to Taiwan was a SIM card for my mobile at the mall underneath the station (but you get them at 7-11 as well, bright orange package by Far East Tone, size of a CD). I don’t remember exactly, but I think I paid like 600 NT$ including 300 NT$ worth of “air time” (is that the right term?). Of course, it’s more expansive than having a local phone number, but it worked quite well for me until I finally got a fixed line. Whenever my air time was finished, I got a new “refill” at 7-11. They have English customer service and instructions as well. Obviously, a free number of SMS came with every new card, so I kept sending messages to my family and friends (doesn’t work with every country or every number, but it’s getting better). I don’t think I had to show any ID, if yes, it was probably my passport as I didn’t have any other kind of ID then.
I could even keep my number when I switched to a post-paid account a while ago, and when I went to Far East Tone to change the contract, the girl who was very professional asked on her own account whether I wanted to keep my phone book data and copied them to the new SIM card.
Gosh, gotta run. HTH
Iris
it is simple, you can just buy the card max you need is the passport.
But remember pre-paid card turns expensive if you are here for a long term, in that case I will advise you to go to far east tone office and ask for a post-paid service. It starts from NT$ 198 (minimum) per month for 2 years.
Good thing about the cell phones here is that even after your card has run out or your bill is way overdue you can still receive calls for about 3months.
[quote=“ponchi”]it is simple, you can just buy the card max you need is the passport.
But remember pre-paid card turns expensive if you are here for a long term, in that case I will advise you to go to far east tone office and ask for a post-paid service. It starts from NT$ 198 (minimum) per month for 2 years.[/quote]
The thing is I couldn’t get a fixed line at home nor, I believe, a post-paid cell phone number before I got my company license or an ARC. I’m not sure, but I think it should work if you have friends who go with you and present their ROC ID.
Iris